I’m always fascinated by the political debate from the Left and Right over the free market and what role, if any, the government should play in our society. In full disclosure, I am one who leans a little to the Left on most issues, including the market. I don’t think that having sensible regulations means you are inherently against capitalism and all the wonderful things that it entails.
I’ll use a sports analogy to explain my views: I love football. But what would the NFL be if there were no referees?
I totally understand it’s a tightrope, and that too much oversight can be stagnating. But we’ve seen what too little oversight can do in the financial market.
Anyway, how does all this apply to dieting, you ask? Plenty.
There’s more happening in the public health realm that raises, what I find to be, the interesting debate/dilemma of the free market society that we live in. Researchers have found that banning fast food advertising on television in the United States could reduce the number of overweight children by as much as 18 percent.
It may come as a surprise from what I’ve divulged about my own political views, but I feel intervention in this case is the wrong thing to do. While there can be a correlation made between restrictions on cigarette ads and fast food, as they both can have deadly effects, I think there needs to be a line drawn somewhere.
The researchers seem to agree.
The team at the National Bureau of Economic Research questioned whether it would be practical to impose that kind of government regulation. While it’s been done in other industrialized countries, such as Sweden, Norway and Finland, what would come next? In fact, by that line of argument, beer commercials should be next on the chopping block. TV itself has been shown to make people fat, and nobody thinks we should ban that.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 13.9 percent of children ages 2-5 are overweight, with 18.8 percent of children ages 6-11, and more than 17 percent of those 12-19. Let’s come up with more creative ways to combat obesity, not more big brother government policies.
I don’t believe that we should ban certain foods per se, but there are things I would ban, such as Trans fats, from our foods. Anything that is a health threat at any level of consumption, should be removed
Can you point us towards the research article?
This topic is driving me nuts!!!
On one hand, I can’t stand the idea that ALL western nations are becoming nanny states.
On the other hand, in the 1970s and 1980s, the Federal Trade Commission considered restrictions on junk-food advertising aimed at kids, but those efforts were blocked by food, toy, broadcasting, and advertising industries.
I am all for a free market, but when the health of my children is threatened by the psychological manipulations of various junk food marketers, it is time for me to exercise my right to force them to quit it.
A free market doesn’t mean that McDonalds gets to try and brainwash my kids and I have to sit back and take it.
A ban of fast food ads aimed at kids is just one tool…it’s too bad that we sit back and wait for the gov’t to wield the tool.
As “the people”, we could organize an online campaign designed to express our wishes to the junk food producers. They won’t listen if one person calls up and complains, but if 1,000,000 people emailed McDonalds tomorrow and told them to stop marketing their food at their kids, or else, they might just listen.